NGSS · Ages 10 to 11

Grade 5: gravity, the Sun and day and night

Matched to 5-PS2-1 (gravity pulls objects down), 5-ESS1-1 (the Sun's brightness and distance) and 5-ESS1-2 (day and night, shadows).

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At a glance
3classroom activities
3live tools
1printable worksheet
10 to 11age range

Curriculum links last reviewed November 2026.

3 classroom activities

Ages 10 to 11

ISS Visible Tonight

When the space station passes over your town, to the minute, and where to look.

5-PS2-1
Students will

explain that Earth's gravity pulls the ISS toward the center of the Earth wherever it is, and it moves so fast that it keeps falling around it.

10-minute activity

Find the next pass for your town. Students watch for it at home with an adult and report back how many seconds they saw it.

Pick your town

New York · Chicago · Los Angeles · Houston · Washington · Seattle · Atlanta

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The Sun in 3D

A live 3D globe of our nearest star.

5-ESS1-1
Students will

argue that the Sun looks brighter than other stars because it is so much closer.

10-minute activity

Sunlight takes about 8 minutes to reach us. Light from the next nearest star takes over 4 years. About how many times farther away is it?

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Orbital Radar. (2026, November 4). Grade 5: gravity, the Sun and day and night. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/grade5

“Grade 5: gravity, the Sun and day and night.” Orbital Radar, 4 Nov. 2026, orbitalradar.com/schools/us/grade5. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Orbital Radar (2026) Grade 5: gravity, the Sun and day and night. Available at: https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/grade5 (Accessed: 4 November 2026).

Orbital Radar. “Grade 5: gravity, the Sun and day and night.” Last modified November 4, 2026. https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/grade5.

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  howpublished = {\url{https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/grade5}},
  url          = {https://orbitalradar.com/schools/us/grade5},
  urldate      = {2026-11-04},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-11-04}
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